The Truth About Cat Allergies

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I have asthma that is triggered by animal contact, especially dogs. When not in contact with animals I am fine and I don't require medication to control asthma. I had a cat for many years that recently died. I did not have asthma symptoms with this cat. I recently adopted a different cat from an animal shelter and almost immediately had asthma symptoms and had to return the cat. I really like cats, and I'm anxious to know if there is a way I can have one and not be allergic to it. If a kitten is bathed on a weekly basis, will it reduce the cat dander? Are male or female cats more prone to cause symptoms? Any suggestions?

— Lorraine, New York

The information you provide in your question touches upon many important points about cat allergies. First, you describe not having noticeable symptoms with your previous cat but reacting dramatically to the new cat. This is absolutely possible, because cats differ in the amount of allergen they produce. Unfortunately, they don't differ based upon breed, but rather from individual to individual.

First, let me offer a little background about cat allergies. Most people who are allergic to cats are allergic mostly to one protein that is made in the cat's saliva, sebaceous glands (tiny glands in the skin), and urinary/reproductive tract. This protein is called "Fel d 1." Individual cats produce Fel d 1 in different amounts, but there are a few generalizations that can be made:

Female cats generally make less Fel d 1 than male cats.

Light-colored cats generally make less than dark-colored cats.

Long-haired cats may give off less allergen into their environment than short-haired cats, because their long fur holds the protein against the skin better.

So, in theory, a female, light-colored, long-haired cat might be less allergenic. However, all these generalizations may be overridden by a specific cat that just makes a lot of the protein, so they are not actually that helpful.

You should also know that Fel d 1 is incredibly lightweight and sticky, so it remains suspended in the air for a long while and then settles and clings to everything: carpets, walls, furniture, clothing, draperies. Cat allergens are "stickier" than just about any other type of allergen. Once a cat is in a home, a "reservoir" of allergen quickly develops in and on the furnishings, and as you move about the house, the allergen gets stirred up and airborne again. In homes with cats, there is a relatively stable amount of allergen around all the time, constantly replenished by the reservoir in the environment, as well as by the cat.

Allergy researchers have done studies to look at the impact of washing cats and it is, unfortunately, almost negligible. The levels of Fel d 1 are back up to prebath levels in the air surrounding the cat within 24 hours! The allergen is probably coming both from the cat and from the reservoir, so bathing cats is not worth the effort.

There is another possible explanation for what happened to you, Lorraine. Sometimes, when people have lived with an allergen for many years (i.e., your previous cat), they become partially tolerant to that particular animal. This doesn't happen to everyone, but it can occur. Then, when there is an interruption in the constant exposure to that allergen, followed by a re-exposure, the reaction is stronger. This happens to young people who go off to college and then come back to visit their parents and pets, and suddenly find that they are allergic to something in the home environment in which they grew up. Again, the reasons for this are not entirely clear, but it is a well-known phenomenon.

Putting this all together, my advice would be to consider the following options:

Accept that you are allergic to cats, be thankful for the good years you had with your first pet, and give up on finding a new cat. You could express your love of animals in other ways — you could volunteer at the local pound or shelter to play with the animals there. This approach is probably better than living with an animal to which you are allergic, as that means taking unnecessary medications and possibly worsening your asthma and overall health.

Try to find another cat that does not give you symptoms. You might pick one out at the pound and then visit it multiple times before adopting, spending at least 30 minutes petting it at each visit, to see if you develop symptoms afterward. This would be difficult, but it might work.

If you have the funds to do so, you might look into the new low Fel d 1 cats. There is a company called Allerca that has just developed a "hypoallergenic" cat. They did this by screening cats for low –Fel d 1 production in order to identify those that naturally did not make much Fel d 1 protein. Then they bred them. This is a new approach to getting around cat allergies. It makes sense to me, although it is important to understand that not all people are allergic to the Fel d 1 protein. Some cat-allergic people react to other proteins. Also, these cats are expensive — about $3,500, and there is a waiting list to get them. I do not want to seem like I am endorsing this approach. I do not know much more about the cats, and I am not connected to the company in any way. I'm not even sure how I personally feel about the idea of creating more cats when the country's shelters are filled with unwanted animals. However, it is a very novel approach.

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